


Fastest way to a man's heart

by issaMorg



Series: A Hobo, a Wraith, and a Cowboy- We Make it Work. [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Anyways, F/M, Genji is not in a good place in this story, M/M, Multi, Not enough existed and like??? People need to be nicer to Gabe, T for wordy dirts, There needed to be more fluff okay, aka swears, excessive baking, my summary is shit don't look at me, this is Genji getting used to being back in public spaces after his modifications, yes he's the baddie but like. I defs feel there are lines he wouldn't cross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7951531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/issaMorg/pseuds/issaMorg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are two ways to interpret the say saying "fastest way to a person's heart"<br/>One is to reply "between the fourth and fifth ribs"<br/>The other is "Through their stomachs"<br/>Thankfully, you are firmly in the latter camp, and maybe the real baked goods are the friends we made along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fastest way to a man's heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DarthSuki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthSuki/gifts).



> So, please be lenient in that I am just. the absolute worst about updating stories and finishing them.  
> SO!  
> If this goes anywhere? It'll be in a nifty series!  
> If you like this and have ideas or notice problems, gimme a shoutout in the comments! An example of a problem is I tried my best to keep my reader gender neutral! If it didn't come across that way lemme know.  
> Also shoutout to DarthSuki! Super nice and would read this in its baby stages and give me input. The actual best right there, writer goals.

You low-key expected many things when you got into Overwatch(sure, in hindsight you were only getting into it just as everything was going to Hell- just around the year mark of your time in and the Zurich incident happened), since you were so quiet. You figured you’d be all on your own more often than not in your downtime, which was a correct assumption at first, but that didn’t mean you hadn’t made any connections.

 

Your mama raised you to be polite and you were that, though apparently your brand of politeness was seen as a naturally sunny disposition for a while? The concept was laughable- anytime you were awake before at least 10:30 in the morning of your own volition was a time where encounters are people taking their lives into their own hands…

 

Digressing, you made a fair few friends from the people who would meander around the base- a few people who went through training the same time you did, but some of the bigger, more iconic and… interesting… names, too. Angela was a dear, and you would [try to] check in on her before you went to bed- if only to ensure she herself got some sleep. Jesse was still growing up into his own person, his time in Deadlock having built up some walls that he was trying to renovate- this you could safely say even though you only had a year or two on the guy. Genji seemed fairly neat when he could be actually located, though he was rather… Snappish when you first met him. He did warm up to you, eventually(you always knew you were a cat whisperer).

 

Then there were the COs. Hoo boy, there was something going on there. You were naturally civil to both the Strike-Commander as well as the Blackwatch Commander- they both had earned the seniority more times than you could imagine counting and had saved the world, after all. Yet something about the whole situation was… Wrong. Other than the whole smear campaign against Morrison, but with Reyes as well.

 

As Morrison was your CO, you could keep an eye out for him. You did this anyway you could: you give him little pep talks, told jokes, started odd philosophical debates- anything that’d work. The first time you did this he was startled, if you had to guess it would either be something about ‘the quiet new kid piping up like that?’ or the fact that when you did so the sun wasn’t even up yet and there was no caffeine in your system. It did distract him from the worrying news article, and so you counted it as a win.

 

Yet the leader of Blackwatch? That you needed a bit more help for. You weren’t Blackwatch, you were acutely aware that you were far too soft for anything that caliber. McCree however, for all his goofing off and flirting, was Blackwatch. So, you used visiting friends as a reason to go to those parts of the bases and. Well. Reyes had seen better days, you were certain.

 

If he hadn’t, he would’ve been a dead man walking by that point at **_least_**.

 

The Commander was snippy(to make the understatement of your career), he seemed on edge constantly, temper on a hair trigger, and his body language screaming for someone to try to pull something- no really he’d _absolutely_ **_love_** to wipe the floor with you right about now.

 

* * *

 

 

You vividly remember in your earlier weeks on the team making brownies with McCree in Blackwatch’s kitchen when Reyes stormed in one day. The man wasn’t so much shocked to see you as he was looking about to explode. Your self preservation skills had kicked in and you did the only thing you could think of to survive in that moment.

 

You scooted the bowl of residual chocolaty goodness sprinkled with peanut butter chips to appease the avatar of your certain doom.

 

You even made sure that the spoon was in there, too.

 

(Jesse’d looked betrayed at this move- you _had_ promised him the bowl after all. However, you figured if you made it through this alive he could have the bowl and the spoon next batch. You just had to live long enough to make it)

 

The scarred man had looked down at the offering before turning his gaze back to you. His observation felt more like he was dissecting you as a person, finding out what made you tick and how to tear you apart. Apparently he didn’t find you enough of a threat, or think that you’d poisoned the brownies, because he picked up the offered bowl. He muttered in Spanish under his breath(too low for you or Jesse to hear), before he trudged past you, shoved the spoon into Jesse’s hands(the way the kid positively lit up at that was too adorable for this world. You wish you had a camera for that shit), and grabbed a spatula for his bowl only to be gone as suddenly as he appeared.

 

For a little bit, all you were capable of doing was blink owlishly where the older man had disappeared off to- McCree on the other hand had no qualms about getting to work on the chocolate-and-peanut-butter covered spoon. He was done with it by the time you were able to be verbal again. “Jesse… What just… happened?”

 

The teen shrugged at you before tossing the spoon into the sink, “you jus’ met my boss ‘s all,” was his drawled reply. He leaned back onto the counter, tipping that ridiculous hat of his over his eyes. As if he could sleep like that, you internally scoffed before the sincere wonder of if he could indeed nap like that popped up. Could he train his body to lock his knees? No, that’s improbable, he-

 

“How long ‘ntil these brownies are done, again?” He whined, unable to help the tone though you could tell he tried to mask it.

 

You rolled your eyes before flicking his hat back into its usual resting position, “I told you, about twenty minutes. Be patient, that’s not a bad wait,” you lectured. Honestly, how this kid was one of Blackwatch’s finest you didn’t know. Unless he was a completely different person working, the wanna-be-cowboy was the exact opposite of ‘good at stealth’ and ‘patient’.

 

The cowboy whined and groaned and complained, but eventually he sat down at a stool and started messing around with some cards he found from… somewhere. You didn’t ask questions in this part of the base. You kept yourself busy while Jesse kept himself entertained, cleaning the mess the prep work had been and hand washing the dirty bowls for giggles. Putting everything back where you found it was another few minutes, ~~really a help there Jesse, no don’t bother getting up~~. Either way, by the time you were setting the ice cream out from the freezer to thaw a little bit, the brownies were nearing completion.

 

This was traditionally when other Blackwatch agents who felt comfortable eating food prepared by others usually emerged for a taste. Rarely did you see the same faces, from what you gathered one person would gather food and bring it to the others who didn’t feel like introducing themselves to you(not that any of them did anyways- you identified them by food), trusting you, or were prepping for/returning from a mission. Not that you minded of course, if they didn’t step up and eat parts of your baked goods that Jesse talked you into making, the teen would eat all of it himself. With his metabolism he’d be fine for a little bit, but the habit would stick and that’s no good.

 

You expected a familiar face or two, maybe a quick hello or a grunt of acknowledgement, even. What you did not expect Reyes to return, still grumbling in Spanish, and with the spatula and mixing bowl in hand.

 

You were very certain at that point if you’d been holding anything you’d’ve dropped it.

 

Jesse perked right back up, though, like a puppy whose absolute favorite person just came back home. He was practically vibrating in his seat as the older man dumped his dishes in the sink before walking around your gobsmacked form to go sit on the stool next to Jesse. The leader of Blackwatch finally ceased his grumbled complaints with a sigh as he settled.

 

You would’ve been relieved that he seemed to cool off, except that his entire focus was back on you. You felt the overwhelming desire to squirm, but held your ground. You are not a bug under a microscope dammit, you are an adult and an agent of Overwatch.

 

“What’s your codename, agent,” it wasn’t a question so much as a demand to be known, and, well, you were neither the type of person nor in a position to back down.

 

You look to Jesse, checking with him to see if he’d be oh-so generous and field the answer for you, but no. No he went back to his house of cards- you had to squish the petty thought to bump into the counter to topple the fragile creation.

 

Instead, you found yourself busying to find… Things. “Ghost, Sir. My codename is Ghost,” bowls and spoons would be the best choice for brownies fresh from the oven with ice cream. Were there enough clean for the snack was the real question.

 

“Take th’ bell off ‘n’ Ghost ‘s gone, Boss,” Jesse finally deigned to say, catching Reyes’s attention with a quirked brow. “Ghost here carries ‘round noisy things- keys, a bell, ‘n’ so forth. Once those ‘re off Ghost is quiet as the grave.”

 

You had never been so happy for the cowboy’s intervention in your whole life. You’ve always been quiet, you don’t mean to be so naturally silent, but in the field you use it to your advantage, for recon and whatnot. Higher ups had wanted you to go into more… Vicious training. You were extremely certain that the Blackwatch life was not for you.

 

Reyes watched you putter through the kitchen, remaining silent. It was only when you had grabbed the brownie pan with oven mitts that his gravelly voice scared you half to death, turning a sure grip on the pan into a vice grip.

 

“I wanted you for Blackwatch, yet you declined. Care to explain why?”

 

_Shit._

 

This even seemed news to Jesse, as the teen perked back up and turned his attention back to you as well.

 

_Double **Shit.**_

 

Keeping your focus on cutting the brownies evenly, you managed to rasp an answer out of your suddenly sandpaper-dry throat. “I declined the offer into Blackwatch because, for all my stealth ability, when the time came to make the final judgement call… I was uncertain I could make the ultimate decision.” Brownies were cut, take the lids off the ice cream…

 

“Wait jus’ a minute now,” your friend piped up, “you have a problem with killin’ folks, and you’re still an agent?” Looking at his face he did seem legitimately concerned, whereas Reyes betrayed nothing with his expression.

 

You chuckle softly as you start setting out the final touches for the Blackwatch members willing to eat, “No. I can’t kill when I’m having to act as Judge, Jury, and Executioner. I can kill to defend myself, but if I have to eliminate an unarmed person because someone from on high says to? I’d never sleep again.”

 

A wink was tossed in to try to diffuse the dour mood suddenly permeating the air before it became a situation, “Jesse, you ‘n’ I both know how much I need my sleep now. With Overwatch it’s… Easier. For me to compartmentalize and rationalize what we do. Things are slowing down, though, thanks to this political shit-show, though, so I’m getting to do less help than I’d like to be, but it has to blow over eventually, right?” You knew you had to be oozing forced optimism at this point- you knew there was a low probability of this ending well.

 

Wiping your hands on a towel you chucked Reyes’s dishes into the dishwasher before you could be asked more questions. “Right, Jesse you know the rules- wait half an hour after your first serving to let other people get a chance at these and then they’re all yours. I’ve probably spent far too much time away from my usual, more accessible haunts, so I’ll see you space cowboy.” You started over to where Jesse was sitting, giving him a hug before turning to his boss, “an honor to meet you, sir, please take care and enjoy as many brownies as you want. Heaven knows Jesse would eat that entire pan himself if I let him,” you stated with a small smile as Jesse started vehemently denying that fact. You made use of this convenient distraction to escape, softly jingling down the hallway as you went.

 

You think you might’ve heard Jesse say something along the lines of “Ghost always stays after baking,” before getting an undecipherable answer from Reyes, but you could also have been projecting. Brains were funny like that.

 

* * *

 

 

Reyes kept showing up after that time, whenever you hung out with Jesse on Blackwatch turf. He wasn’t around for long, necessarily, but it was long enough for you to try to give him a little bit of a boost. He always seemed so… Tense, angry, frayed, all these and more just covering an overbearing wave of fatigue. He just seemed so tired, and you wanted to help how you could. Heck, even Jesse was worried for his boss in his own ways.

 

So the two of you slowly started trying to build the man back up, even if it was a losing battle. Eventually you decreed it was time for the big guns.

 

And so you had a baking day in the Blackwatch kitchen.

 

After the Brownie Incident, if you were making food in that kitchen and Reyes was in the base, he’d show up. Sometimes with paperwork, sometimes ranting in Spanish(you were glad you did not know all of what he was saying, but you could guess), and sometimes he would talk on the phone the whole time about various missions you tuned out(you knew when to be nosey and when not to be and that’s not a line you toe with this man), and sometimes just sitting silently(this one honestly scared you the most, his thousand yard stare made you want to weep). No matter how he showed up, you welcomed his presence and gave him the bowl without being prompted, which he would accept after a few minutes.

 

You weren’t the best baker, heck you used mostly box recipes that you’ve learned to twist over the years, and today was no different as much as it was special. Nevertheless, you got to work, starting to mix your first big ticket item- a death by chocolate cake. It would take most of the day for it to cool, so it could be frosted… well, not necessarily “neatly” because that’s hard, but you could do consistently! You also had plans for a pound cake, a checkerboard cake(you were estatic to find pans you could make one of these bad boys in), among a small army of cookies and some brownies. You did leave yourself open for requests, but so far the only person to have gotten back to you with the request was Jesse for the pound cake- and he’d be busy all day on his end.

 

Speaking of his end, the target of this whole plan finally drifted into the room with some paperwork and his phone. You greeted him with a smile as you continue to mix your ingredients together, rocking back and forth to some old song stuck in your head. Reyes settled himself in his usual stool, his eyes sliding to Jesse’s vacant spot before redirecting his gaze to his paperwork.

 

You managed to finish mixing, put it in the pans, and slide  bowl and spoon to Reyes before the man finally spoke up(to his credit, he had seemed to be intent on finishing the document he’d been working on before asking), “I take it McCree isn’t off on some bathroom break, then?”

 

You shook your head to affirm his claim, “Nope, Jesse’s off doing his own thing, and well, I didn’t want to bake alone? I hope you don’t mind…” You say the last part sheepishly, he could tell you to leave right now, you were not cooking in the big, Overwatch members kitchen, you were taking over the smaller haven for the members of Blackwatch.

 

The man seemed borderline surprised at that admission, before leaning back and chuckling, “Can’t have an agent that’s not one of my own running around unsupervised and causing trouble now, can I?”

 

You gaped at the man as he idly got to work on the bowl- did he just??? You could barely believe your ears. His eyes flicked up and noticed your gobsmacked expression, his silent query a quirked brow. Your face flushed as you stammer to make an acceptable excuse.

 

“You have a really nice laugh. I hadn’t heard it before and it’s nice,” was what your brain decided would be best, much to your immediate mortification.

 

He stared at you with a blank face, brow still quirked.

 

“Not that your voice isn’t usually nice! It is! Very nice! Just your laugh is also!” Naturally, your floundering attempts at backpedaling turn into you digging a deeper hole.

 

Through your blatant mortification you were a deer in headlights to his blank stare. His face was a neutral mask, but his shoulders…?

 

_Son of a **bitch**_ , he was _laughing_ at you!

 

With a groan you flopped your torso dramatically onto the countertop, your arms covering your head as Reyes dissolved back into a rumbling chuckle. “I’m so glad you find my utter mortification this entertaining, _Sir_ ,” you whine, causing the chuckle to evolve into a full cackle.

 

You kept your head buried in the protective barrier your arms formed against the cruel, cruel outside world as Reyes’s chortling simmered back down. You felt a reassuring pat on your head as Reyes gulped air back down. “Haven’t laughed like that in a while, and you’re the one who thinks my laugh is so _nice_ ,” the teasing way he said that made you wince. What a jerk, “I figure you should be happy for that.” He leaned back a bit, sighing in contentment, pulling the bowl of batter remains to himself.

 

You groan and slide off the counter, turning it into a big stretch before going back to your baked-goods-to-be. The two of you shared a companionable silence as you mixed up the pound cake and Reyes finished up the chocolate batter. Eventually, and surprisingly, Reyes broke the silence unexpectedly.

 

“Didn’t expect to see you here without McCree to be frank. The kid has some feelings for you, you know,” he said, trailing off knowingly. Oh _please_ , if he was gonna play this game you could go toe to toe with him.

 

“Pot, this is Kettle,” was your snarky reply, honestly, he had to have seen it? “Have you not seen the way he looks at you? That’s a little more than the way you look at your Boss, that’s the way you look when you go through the desert for days and someone offers you a few gallons of cold water.” At this, you snag the polished off bowl and toss it in the sink filled with hot, soapy water to soak a bit.

 

Reyes snorted, “I’ll give you that, but watching his constant flirting attempts is getting sad.”

 

You stopped mid-stir, thinking back to some of the less-than-spectacular pick-up lines Jesse had employed before tilting your head in acknowledgement, “I’ll agree there. But! Remember, he’s still finding his groove, yeah? He’ll work it out, and I’m gonna guess he’ll go for you as soon as it doesn’t get thrown under the ‘fraternization’ label.”

 

The oh-so fearsome leader of Blackwatch made a show of it as he rolled his eyes, waving off your statement. “McCree doesn’t have the patience to wait that long, you’re safer and more accessible to him, not to mention you’re already roughly his age,” the older man pointed out.

 

You pointed your mixing spoon at him as if you prove the validity of your point, “I think you underestimate Jesse’s desire to bend and break the rules for his passions. Don’t think he’ll give up on you, Chiefy,” you finished, chuckling as Reyes growled unhappily at the nickname.

 

“Let’s make an agreement, then,” the Blackwatch leader mused, resting his elbows against the counter as he leaned closer to you. “If McCree asks you out, you try to make it work, and I’ll do the same should he get the balls to ask me.” After that statement, he leaned back and cocked a brow, as if daring you to challenge his proposal.

 

You stared right back at him, meeting his eyes and cocking a brow of your own, “Any catches to this, sir? I don’t think using people’s emotions against them is fair, you know.”

 

“No catch, the kid could just use some legitimate happiness in his life, for once,” came the unexpected response- apparently by the both of you as he seemed a bit surprised in himself for saying it.

 

Put that way, you nodded, “It’s a deal,” you extended your hand to shake his, inwardly noting how his hand was so much larger than yours was. Said hand returned your grip, dwarfing your hand as you two shook on it. There seemed to be some hesitance, however, to relinquish each other’s hands- from both sides, you noted.

 

And then the two of you settled back into your patterns- you baked up a storm, Reyes did his paperwork(how it remained so clean you’d never know), and time crept onward.

 

Eventually, as the day neared its close, you were done (finally). With your hands proudly(well, as proudly as you could be with how fatigued you were) on your hips as you gazed upon the veritable diabetic coma you had created, a proud smile on your face.

 

Out of he corner of your eye, you noticed Blackwatch’s Commander stacking his papers and otherwise tidying up his space. As he turned, you reached out to him, squawking “Ah-buh-bu-bup! Stopit right there! We’re not done here, Chief!”

 

He turned, looking a mix of annoyed and curious. “Agent, I was unaware I was taking orders from you, now,” he ended, raising a single brow in challenge.

 

You rounded the little breakfast bar, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the main part of base. “I’ve got orders from the top, Sir, and should I fail I don’t think either of us would like the punishment.” You tugged again, groaning as his sheer muscle mass was acting as resistance. “What do they feed you super soldier types anyway? Argh, sir please! I have legitimate fear if I fail her very specific orders!”

 

That stopped his passive resistance. You could almost see the little gears turning in his head as he processed what you’d said. This was your break- you started pulling him down the hall once more, the fearsome leader following despite his initial reluctance.

 

The closer you two got to your destination, the more the delicious scent in the air shifted from the baked sweets to a more spicy food. Reyes’s face shifted into one of confusion with hints of nostalgia twinkling in his eyes.

 

When you reached your destination, Overwatch’s kitchen, you were greeted by the small group of people you had planned on being there. Jesse was finishing taking things out of the oven, all the while keeping a conversation going with someone he was video chatting with. Brownie(they were very eastern Russian and more than a little horrifying), Snickerdoodle(Some eccentric fellow that seemed to be somewhere from the British Isles. Every time you spoke to him his accent would be different), and Cake-pop(she was fairly nice, but you knew better than to pry in the Honduran woman’s private life) were some of the few faces you recognized, but with them they brought all the other agents you had been gifting with food but never meeting. Overall, there was a fairly decent size group of people(you noticed Genji lurking in the shadows but wouldn’t pry- you didn’t know if this was a good day or not), which was good with how much dessert you made, and the veritable buffet of the teen’s labors.

 

“Y’see, Sir, Morrison is gone on a mission, and you’ve been looking… Less than stellar? So, Jesse and I hatched this plan, and so here we are! The first, unofficial “Reyes Deserves a Break for Everything he Does” gathering!” You were only halfway through your little spiel and you already felt like you were in danger of combusting from how much you were blushing. “This wasn’t required, and the food is going to be stored in the Blackwatch kitchen when all’s said and done, so everyone who’s here wants to be here. We care about your well being, so please try to take care of yourself?”

 

Jesse looked up from the video chat and _smiled_ , a face splitting thing of legitimate joy. Not a ‘Hey good to see you’ smile, not a ‘it’s a good day’ smile, but that was the smile of a memory being made and it being one that will never be forgotten. That’s a smile that went up to his eyes, sparked a twinkle in them, and went straight to the heart.

 

And Reyes thought Jesse’d settle for _you_ when the cowboy looked at him like **_that_**?

 

He looked back down at the chat, still sporting the grin-of-all-grins, before motioning over to you two. “Well, our guest of honor just showed up, would you like to talk t’ him ma’am?” There was a noise of affirmation from the person on screen, and Jesse moseyed his way around the counter to hand the screen to a suddenly confused and emotionally reeling Reyes.

 

The way his eyes widened once he saw the screen sent a small wave of chuckles through the group. The friendly looking, gracefully aging lady looking back at the two of you. You smiled, “Ah! Miss Reyes, it’s lovely to finally see you! Have you been well since your last message?”

 

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at you, “ _Sí_ child, thank you for asking. Thank you for looking out for my boy here,” she said lightheartedly before turning a stern gaze onto her son, “ _mijo_! I know you can take better care of yourself!” Reyes’s ears started to flush under his beanie, his mother electing to take that moment to ease up on her child. “We will talk later, Gabi, when you are not around friends. Friends who spent all day talking with your dear old mother when you do not! Just to make a home cooked meal for you. Let your friends help you, _mijo_ , I’m not going to my son’s funeral because he can’t take care of himself!”

 

This is where you elected to step in, taking the tablet from an uncharacteristically meek Commander, you smiled again at the woman on screen. “Thank you again for all your help, ma’am! I know you’re busy and it was nice to finally see your beautiful face,” she got a chuckle out of this and waved a hand at you dismissively. “I’ll make sure that your boy calls you either tonight or tomorrow if everything goes well, if something pops up I’ll let you know! I just think we should enjoy the beautiful feast you walked our resident cowboy through before it gets cold, ma’am.”

 

At this she nodded sagely, “ _Sí_ , _sí_ , it is best if you go eat now. You’re too skinny, you should eat more- all of you. Go, go eat,” she commanded with finality before muttering in Spanish as she closed out the video call.

 

For a moment all was quiet. Everyone looked at Reyes, expecting a response the man’s usually surly expression masked. Snickerdoodle took this as an opportunity to open his mouth, but was shut down with a gravely, “Stop right there. If **anyone** in this room talks about what just happened I will make it my **personal goal** to get your ass sent to the Antarctic Base where you will remain **until you _retire_**.” Reyes made sure to make eye contact with everyone in the room before growling out, “Am I **_clear_**?”

 

The resounding chorus of “Sir, yes sir!” made it abundantly clear that none of the people in attendance desired permafrost-bite.

 

At that response the man nodded his head, turned to Jesse, and barked out, “McCree! Get your ass over here, you cooked you don’t set up or clean,” You personally thought if Jesse’s eyes sparkled any more he’d put some anime girls to shame. “The rest‘a you punks set the table and grab the food, you heard the woman.”

 

* * *

 

 

Let it be known that Mama Reyes knows how to make lots of food for lots of people.

 

Let it also be known that the group of people she had instructed Jesse through cooking for can put away all of it and have room to spare.

 

The only leftovers were a few slices of cake, some brownies, and a small variety of cookies.

 

Everyone had seemed to have a good time, even Genji who- to your knowledge- didn’t eat any of it. All good times must draw to a close, regrettably, and after the desserts were finished and all the dishes cleaned people made their way back to their own corners of the base.

 

With the exception of you, Jesse, and Reyes, of course. The three of you were all relaxing together in the common area, you and Reyes casually sitting next to each other with Jesse off grabbing a drink.

 

Speak of the devil, “so, I been thinkin’,” he started, sounding nervous.

 

In an attempt to lighten him up, you cheerfully replied, “oh, so that’s what that smell was!” Reyes seemed to think it was at least a little funny as he chuckled, relaxing a little more.

 

The cowboy, on the other hand, mocked your reply in a high pitched tone before replying, “real funny. Naw, I’ve been thinkin’… ‘Bout us, yanno?”

 

You and Reyes shared a look before twisting in unison towards the kitchen. There, perched on a stool and fiddling with his glass of water, was a ridiculously nervous Jesse.

 

“Us?” Reyes rumbled out, implying the question also on your mind- ‘ _who is ‘ **us** ’?_’

 

Th cowboy nodded to his CO’s question. His reply was quiet, and you had to strain a bit to make sure you heard his statement clearly. “Yeah. Us. All three’a us.”

 

You blinked, a slow, languid thing that wouldn’t betray how your mind was racing. Were you about to lose two friends here? You barely knew the personal details of your squad- knowing them more in how they react in combat than in downtime. If you lost these two, you’d probably be back to being a recluse socially. Sure, you checked in on Angela and could have a decent conversation with Genji on one of his good days… But neither of those could hold a candle to how you could easily goof off all day with Jesse, or how you loved keeping Reyes company when he was busy and couldn’t chat…

 

Dear God, you had no idea you had it _this **bad**_.

 

Jesse made a noise of frustration, slamming his cup on the counter and throwing his hands in the air. “Look, I ain’t sure how’da be delicate with this, so I’m jus’ gon’ say it. I have feelin’s for both y’a, an’ I know there’s _somethin’_ between y’all, so… Why don’ we jus’ all be t’gether?”

 

You blink owlishly once more before you turn to scope out Reyes’s expression.

 

Resting bitchface, no dice.

 

You turn back to Jesse, smile, and shrug a shoulder, “I’m willing to give it a shot if Chiefy here is,” you sounded blasé, but you were far from it. Since Jesse brought it up and the option was right in front of you?

 

You wanted it so bad you could almost taste it.

 

You and Jesse turned to look at Reyes, you could feel the hope burning in your eyes but you couldn’t stomach the thought of tucking it away. The Commander looked between the two of you before letting out a very put-upon groan. “You kids are going to be the end of me,” he dryly commented as he pulled you into his side.

 

Jesse leapt up with a whoop and was around the couch in seconds, sprawling himself across your’s and Reyes’s laps. He let out a hum of contentment as he settled, Reyes grumbling and rolling his eyes as you chuckled at the teen’s antics.

 

Pulling a blanket from behind the couch and draping it across your triad, you snuggled in to Reyes’s side and intertwined your fingers with Jesse’s.

 

In this moment, you felt like you could take whatever the world threw at you.

**Author's Note:**

> Right, so, how'd I do?  
> If you like it, thanks!  
> If you hate it, thanks for at least reading it through and giving it a shot! Lemme know what I can do in the future!  
> Have ideas you think I could maybe write well? find me on my personal!  
> issamorg.tumblr.com


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